This invention generally relates to animal litter and, more particularly, to an improved animal litter and method of manufacture having a chemical indicator for the detection of animal urine.
Waste from indoor pets causes a plurality of problems if not disposed of in a timely manner. While the mess and odor of pet feces and urine are obvious and readily apparent to the senses, other disadvantages associated with indoor pets are not so readily detectable or appreciated by pet owners. Pet waste, if not disposed of in a timely fashion, provides a source of bacteria and virus which may lead to serious health difficulties to the animal or human occupants of the household. Such bacteria is readily spread throughout the house as a pet uses a litter box and then walks throughout the house. A well-known difficulty experienced by owners of indoor pets is determining when to dispose of pet waste accumulated in a litter box, thereby reducing the spread of bacteria.
Pet litter boxes for collecting bodily waste from domesticated animals such as cats and indoor dogs are known. Litter compositions for agglomerating animal waste and/or minimizing animal waste odors are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,023 to Kuhns. More particularly, Kuhns discloses a litter composition having a pH indicator that is chemically bound to a base material. Kuhns contemplates a clay base material and a method for chemically binding a chemical compound to the base material, the compound including a chemical indicator capable of providing a visual indication and a binding agent capable of agglomerating with surrounding base material. U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,615 to Kuceski discloses a litter comprised of an acidified cellulosic base material which may include a pH-sensitive additive capable of indicating when the litter needs to be changed. Acidifying the cellulosic base material requires adding particular amounts of toxic chemicals such as sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, or hydrochloric acid to the base material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,054 to Pluta, et al suggests a litter having an uncalcined clay base of specific composition to which a pH indicator may be added. Another pH-sensitive litter is claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,532 having dual pH indicators that provide color transitions at problematically high or low pH levels of animal urine.
Although assumably effective in function, the known litters containing pH indicators are relatively complex in composition or production, thereby making them relatively expensive to pet owners. Also, such litters have failed to address that the release of ions from the base material upon contact with moisture may cause false pH readings. Moreover, pH-sensitive litters may be environmentally undesirable as they contain toxic chemicals. In addition, clay based litters are disadvantageous since they may be heavy, dusty, and of low absorbency. It is desirable, therefore, to have an animal litter comprising a cellulosic base material combined with a pH-indicating dye. The resulting litter is simple in both composition and production. It is also desirable to have a pH-indicating litter that is non-toxic and non-polluting both in production and final form. Therefore, it is desirable to have a pH-sensitive litter having a cellulosic base that provides a cost-effective means for owners of indoor pets to determine when to dispose of animal waste accumulated in a litter box, thereby reducing the spread of bacteria.